Pike Place Market

It was great to see so many new people at this month's urban sketch outing. It was definitely a tough sell this weekend with the Seahawks playing Greenbay for a chance to go to the Super Bowl.

It is easy to think you have seen everything at Pike Place Market. Every time I go back though I find something new.

I got in a quick sketch of the Sasquatch sculpture. I had always meant to sketch this market classic but never got the chance. 

I also captured this scene of the Pike Brewery grist case sticking out of the walk way to the market's south end. I cheated and added the red to the case afterwards in Photoshop. The grist case was too distinctive to leave out and I did not have a red pen or marker on me at the time.

Finally, I captured this quick view inside of DeLaurenti's wine room, kitchen and seating area. I particularly enjoyed capturing the dense feel of the wine bottles stacked from floor to ceiling in this tiny room.  

All in all another great winter time sketch outing to the Pike Place Market. I hope to do it again next year as well. It will be great to start comparing each year against the last.

Market Morning Sketch

Today was going to be full and I hoped satisfying with all the activities I had planned.  Some times it just pours with good things to do (and the rain did at times too!).  Being a soccer/Sounders fanatic, I have to find an outlet in the winter as I wait for the new MLS season to start.  So I follow Arsenal of the English Premier League during their season.  This morning before the sketch outing I watched their game getting a win over Man City 2-0. Nice job Gunners!   I headed downtown quickly to beat the Seahawk rush and got going early on a sketch of one of the Market's mascots; the Sasquatch that sits in the Atrium (the market area south of Pike Street).  There are places on the carved wooden creature that are stained dark from the oils of people's hands as they touch the statue.

After our meet and greet I headed to the concourse that houses the brewing tanks and equipment for the Pike Brewing Company. The floor in the center is open to the pub below with the pipes and tanks extending through the openings.   During my sketch time, the pub was filling up with Seahawk fans waiting for the game to start on the TV's.  Every once and awhile I would hear a "SEA--Hawks!"  chant as the crowd was getting psyched for the game to start.

I finished the sketch at 11:30 and headed to my Seahawk viewing party.  I wanted to see all the other's sketches too, but the game was calling (along with good food, drink and the company of my churche's great Seahawk fans. The game ended fantastically, but we were made to suffer for 3 quarters.  It was all worth it today to enjoy three things that I love to do.  I ended up taking a nap late in the afternoon to recovery from all the emotion of the day.